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Jenna Ortega detailed her OCD journey during a cover interview with Vogue, published on Thursday, Oct. 22
The actress explained that she’s dealt with the disorder since she was 7
Ortega revealed how it still shows up in her life to this day
Jenna Ortega is giving a closer look at her journey with obsessive-compulsive disorder, including how it continues to show up in her life today.
In a new interview with Vogue, published on Thursday, Oct. 22, the Klara and the Sun star discussed the OCD symptoms that have impacted her since she was 7 years old.
Ortega, 24, vividly remembers growing up with “a lot of different trains rolling in my brain at the same time.”
She recalled waking up before her siblings to complete a specific routine each day before school.
Jenna Ortega attends the 32nd Annual Actor Awards at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 01, 2026Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty
“I had to open the bedsheet a certain way, and open the drawer one way, and brush my hair in a slow-paced way,” she said.
The Mayo Clinic describes OCD as “a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions,” acc
OCD includes “pattern[s] of unwanted thoughts and fears known as obsessions,” which could lead a person to do “repetitive behaviors,” known as compulsions, according to the Mayo Clinic. The obsessions lead to repetitive behaviors that can cause distress as they get in the way of daily activities.
“Ultimately, you feel driven to do compulsive acts to ease your stress, “ the medical center states. “Even if you try to ignore or get rid of bothersome thoughts or urges, they keep coming back. This leads you to act based on ritual. This is the vicious cycle of OCD.”
The obsessions continue to impact Ortega to this day, she told Vogue, adding that the repetitive behavior tends to show up when she’s anxious, tired, or jet-lagged.
“I just bite the bullet and do the routine,” she said.
Jenna Ortega attends Lionsgate’s “Hurry Up Tomorrow” World Premiere on May 13, 2025 in New York CityCredit: Michael Loccisano/WireImage
Nowadays, this includes repeating “take care” a specific number of times throughout the day, she told the magazine. It also includes stepping onto set with her left foot first and holding her breath while counting to 71.
While Ortega sometimes works with a therapist and has tried medications, something that has helped her “take some of the pressure off” is picturing OCD as a game.
Her work has also offered some relief. She said that when the cameras are rolling, “You have to breathe.”
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“That’s another reason why I like my job,” she told Vogue.
This was not the first time Ortega discussed her OCD symptoms with Vogue. In an August 2025 conversation with the magazine, she said she has “pretty intense” OCD and had the “exact same routine” for seven years.
“I count to a certain number in the shower. I put my clothes on in a certain order,” Ortega said in 2025. “If I’m having a bad day and I don’t know why, it’s because I put the wrong sock on the wrong foot. I’m very aware of stuff like that. And while it may come across as silly, and I can acknowledge that, it also brings me some sort of comfort.”
The new interview comes ahead of the release of Klara and the Sun, in which Ortega plays an artificial best friend. It is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel of the same name and directed by Taika Waititi.
Klara and the Sun arrives in theaters on Oct. 23.
Read the original article on People